In our All Access issue, we’re spotlighting how the disability community is making the outdoors more accessible for everyone. Explore the package here.
In 2018, I founded Disabled Hikers, a disability-led nonprofit dedicated to building disability community and justice in the outdoors. As part of my passion and job, I’ve traveled throughout much of the United States as a disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent hiker and have seen firsthand the ways in which accessibility on the trails can be an afterthought.
To help combat this, I review trails across the US, assessing their length, surface, potential obstacles, parking options, resources, and more to create detailed trail guides so that all disabled people can explore nature more safely. Over the years, I’ve put together several tips for how to find trails that meet your access needs. You can also find dozens of accessible trail guides for Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho on the Disabled Hikers website. But to get you started, I’ve shared five standout locations that put accessibility first.
Getty / Elizabeth Lara
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia, WA
This wildlife refuge features more than four miles of wheelchair-accessible trails. The highlight is the Nisqually Estuary Trail. The trail is two miles (one way), and the first mile is a wooden boardwalk or compact gravel. It travels along a wetland, then a boardwalk leads you out over the estuary, where the Nisqually River and McAllister Creek flow into Puget Sound.
It is an incredible place for birding and wildlife appreciation. There aren’t many benches, and the estuary trail is fully exposed to the sun, but there are two covered observation decks. The Twin Barns Loop is another accessible boardwalk trail that is partially shaded. All the trails are generally flat and the boardwalks are in decent condition; there are a few boards with up to half-inch thresholds on one side.
Getty / AlessandraRC
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Arnold, CA
Calaveras is home to two groves of giant sequoias, as well as mixed conifer forest, the Stanislaus River, and much more. It is one of the nearest places to the Sacramento Valley to experience giant sequoias and is a very popular destination.
The park has heavy snowfall in winter, but the rest of the year, there are wheelchair-accessible campsites, cabins, picnic areas, and four accessible trails. The Three Senses Trail is 0.13 miles long and features interpretive signage in English and braille. The trail is generally flat with a compacted gravel or boardwalk surface, and there are benches for resting.
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Devils Tower (Bear Lodge) National Monument, WY
The National Park Service recently completed several accessibility improvements at the Devils Tower National Monument, including an accessible path from the visitor center to an overlook at the base of the tower. A tactile map and a model of the tower are located along the path, and there is a captioned and audio-described film at the visitor center, as well as other accessible exhibits. The trail that circles the base of the tower is paved but very steep in some places. Thankfully, you can easily view the tower from anywhere in the park, including the picnic area.
There are also a couple of unpaved backroads to explore and pullouts where you can wait for wildlife. My favorite thing is to watch and listen to the prairie dogs. Important to note: Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Lakota, and other Indigenous advocacy groups are working to change the official name of Devils Tower to Bear Lodge, which reflects their cultural and spiritual connections to this place.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC and TN
The Great Smoky Mountains are an excellent destination for a scenic drive. I recommend stopping at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Gatlinburg, TN, or the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC, for current information – both are wheelchair accessible. The park provides several guided auto tours that you can download from the National Park Service app or website.
If the six highlighted tours aren’t enough, you can also access the Blue Ridge Parkway from the North Carolina side of the park and travel over 400 miles to Shenandoah National Park. There are countless overlooks and picnic areas from which to appreciate the beauty of the mountains. I lived in this area for many years, and it was one of my favorite activities when I did not have the energy to hike.
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Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach, FL
I grew up in this area, and the Manatee Viewing Center has a special place in my heart. Major accessibility improvements were completed several years ago. There is a 900-feet-long accessible walkway that leads through mangroves and out to the tidal zone. It is a part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, too, but is perhaps best known for the opportunity to view manatees. The center is only open from November through April. Be aware that it can be loud (and busy) along the tidal walk. Audio announcements play regularly, and the Big Bend Power Station operates here; the warm water discharge is what draws dozens of manatees during the winter.
For more accessible trail guides for Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, visit the Disabled Hikers website. And if you’re looking for birding locations specifically, check out the Birdability Location Explorer, created by Birdability and the National Audubon Society.
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Syren Nagakyrie is the founder of Disabled Hikers, a nonprofit organization building disability community and justice in the outdoors. As a longtime disabled activist and community builder, Syren is committed to building a movement of disabled leadership in the outdoors. They are the author of “The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California” (2024) and “The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon” (2022) and have written for The New York Times, Tripadvisor, and many more.
